


Checkmate

by Jarino



Series: Rima Lavellan, Herald of Andraste [10]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Chess, F/M, Fluff, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-03
Updated: 2015-10-03
Packaged: 2018-04-24 12:46:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4920181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jarino/pseuds/Jarino
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Inquisitor and the Commander find some time to relax and play a friendly game of chess.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Checkmate

“Gloat all you like, I have this one…”

Gazing across the chessboard with a confident smirk, Cullen held his hands together in concentration.

He hadn’t expected to form a friendship with the Tevinter mage, but somehow the two had ended up spending most of their free-time engaging in chess matches. And while he didn’t outright mind the mage’s exuberant attitude, there was no denying the satisfaction that came from besting him in a game of strategy.

“Are you… _sassing_  me, Commander?” Dorian asked in lighthearted jest. “I didn’t know you had it in you.”

“Why do I even-?” Ignoring his comment, his hand hovered over the game board, deciding on which piece to move. As he did so, a flash of movement out of his peripherals caught his eye and he turned to identify it. Almost instantaneously, he recognized the lithe figure of the Inquisitor stepping into view and he felt a rush of guilt. Was she here to reprimand him for taking time away from his work? He made to rush to his feet, stuttering out her title and attempting to apologize for his lack of professionalism.

“Leaving, are you?” Dorian quipped, a smug smile tugging at his features. “Does this mean I win?”

Glaring at the mage, Cullen sunk back into his seat, his features setting in frustration.

Rima raised an accusatory eyebrow at the two, though the smirk on her face betrayed her. “Are you two playing nice?” she teased playfully.

“I’m  _always_  nice,” Dorian said in a sickeningly sweet voice. Cullen was tempted to roll his eyes at the inauthenticity of it. Maintaining a calm composure, he reached forward to move his rook and continued, “You need to come to terms with my inevitable victory, Commander. You’ll feel much better.”

“Really?” Taking his mage in hand, Cullen placed the piece into its rightful position and leaned back confidently. “Because I just won, and I feel fine.” He didn’t even bother trying to draw back his gloating; this was too good a victory not to bask in the glory.

The loss didn’t seem to inconvenience Dorian, as he simply lifted his arms in mock-defeat before rising from his seat. “Don’t get smug. There’ll be no living with you.”

As he made his way out of the gazebo, Rima took a tentative step forward, her hands held absentmindedly behind her back.

Still reveling in his win, Cullen took the chance to address Rima. “I should return to my duties as well…Unless you would care for a game?” He left the invitation open-ended, in case she had come to him with work-related matters.

“Oh, um…I’d love to, but…” Her gaze darted to the side and she shifted on her feet awkwardly. “I’m afraid I don’t know how.”

His gaze softened and he suddenly became aware of how utterly alone they were. Chances like this didn’t come along very often. “I could teach you…if you’d like, that is,” he offered, clearing his throat slightly.

Her eyes lighting up, she looked back at him and smiled. “I…yes, I’d like that very much.”

As she took her seat, Cullen took to setting the pieces back in their proper places and she watched on in interest. He went on to explain the names of each of the pieces and the rules of how they could be moved. She nodded attentively, her gaze fixed on the game board.

When it seemed she understood the basic rules, they agreed to begin the game. Moving his first pawn, Cullen began with a bit of laid-back conversation to ease the tension. “As a child, I played this with my sister. She would get this stuck up grin on her face whenever she won – which was  _all_  the time. My brother and I practiced together for weeks.” The smile on his face widened at the memory. “The look on her face the day I finally won…”

His thoughts began to wander to his family and he found himself voicing them aloud. “Between serving the Templars and Inquisition, I haven’t seen them in years…I wonder if she…still plays…” He looked down, seemingly lost in thought when Rima’s voice pulled him back to the conversation.

“You have siblings?” she asked, a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

“Two sisters and a brother.”

Looking over the board tentatively, Rima opted to move her first pawn. “Where are they now?”

“They moved to South Reach after the Blight. I do not write to them as often as I should…Ah, it’s my turn…” He settled on moving another pawn before turning his attention back to Rima. Her gaze was still focused on the board which granted him the opportunity to look at her. He wasn’t proud of these stolen moments; it felt shameful to ogle at her while she was unaware, but he couldn’t help it. There was something about her that drew him in and kept him from looking away. The way her brow crinkled in concentration as she stared at the game was just too adorable to resist.

Shaking himself from his inappropriate thoughts, Cullen cleared his throat softly and prompted, “What about you? Do you have any siblings?”

She looked up to meet his eyes before glancing down again, moving her next piece. “No. I’m an only child, I’m afraid…And I don’t have any cousins to speak of, either. My father is an only child as well and my uncles never really had the opportunity to adopt.” She paused for a moment, dwelling on her thoughts. “But in all honesty, I consider my whole clan to be my family. We may not all be related by blood, but we’ve been together through thick and thin. We share everything and are always there to support one another.”

She offered him a smile and he felt a prick of guilt at the back of his neck. He’d almost forgotten about her clan. He was well aware that she was Dalish, but with her being called the Herald of Andraste left and right, it was easy to forget where she had come from. “Do you, ah…do you miss them?” He moved his knight next.  

She pursed her lips together in contemplation and took a long pause. “Yes. All the time.” Her hand hovered over her pieces before she decided on another pawn. “There are days where I want nothing more than to go back there, but I know I’m needed here and…” She glanced up at him sheepishly. “To be honest, I rather enjoy the company we keep here.”

He tried not to read too much into her comment, and simply responded with a warm smile of his own. “Indeed… The companions you’ve recruited are certainly interesting, to say the least.”

He soon lost track of how long the game went on for. Though most of the rest of the game was spent staring at their pieces in contemplation, they had plenty of chances to engage in conversation that were very much welcome. While Rima was by no means skilled at the game, she was far from bad, especially for it being her first time. Still, the difference in skill levels was incredibly unfair and Cullen felt bad about annihilating her when she was still learning the game. There were many opportunities that arose for him to put her in check, but he avoided every one of them. He walked into obvious traps and intentionally put his pieces into vulnerable situations so that she could feel victorious upon capturing them.

Eventually, he broke the silence with a lighthearted remark. “This may be the longest we’ve gone without discussing the Inquisition…or related matters.” He gave a large grin for emphasis. “To be honest, I appreciate the distraction.”

“We should do this more often…” she offered, a shy smile finding its way onto her face.

“I would…like that,” he said, almost unsure if he’d heard her correctly.

“Me, too…” she uttered in agreement, not looking up from the board.

He couldn’t help but chuckle at her remark. She was repeating herself, but he found it rather endearing. “You said that,” he said softly in a gentle reminder. A crimson blush quickly spread across her olive complexion and she looked up at him nervously.

As she looked at him with mild uncertainty, his gaze instantly melted under her presence. He stared at her with such tender affection and lowered his voice to a moderate whisper; as if anything louder might frighten her away. “We should…finish our game, right? My turn?”

After many more turns, Rima tentatively moved one of her pieces into position and mumbled with uncertainty, “Um…check?”

Cullen looked down at the board and as he analyzed the situation, a wide grin quickly found its way onto his face. “Look again.”

Confused, she glanced down once more, and the realization quickly dawned on her. Her eyebrows shooting up in excitement, she began eagerly pointing at the board. “Oh! Oh! Checkmate! I did it! I got you in checkmate!”

Unable to wash the amused look from his face, he simply smiled back at her proudly. “That you did.”

She looked up at him suspiciously, though her eyes were still full of unbridled joy. It was possible she suspected him of letting her win, but even so, she didn’t seem to mind too much.

Leaning forward with a crooked grin, he continued playfully, “We shall have to try again sometime.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm still working on "The Littlest Warden", but in the meantime, I've also been writing out a few drabbles about Rima (and Cullen lmao).


End file.
